Local area network and wide area network traffic in the internet typically has packet bursts, where the size and timing of the bursts statistically follows a heavy tailed distribution. For example, non-voice traffic patterns for internet-like applications are typically generated in situations such as when user activity occurs, when applications generate uplink network traffic, when network traffic is sent to the internet in general, when a server responds, when downlink traffic arrives for a device or when an application complies with user activities such as displaying a page, starting a stream etc. All of this traffic has a statistical distribution where some of the packets arrive or are sent quickly while others arrive or are sent later.
In systems where a service needs to be requested, system resources must be made available to allow one entity to signal a request for a service from another entity. For example, in systems where transmission resources need to be requested, the bursty nature of the traffic typically requires a network element to compromise between the number of signaling resources pre-allocated for sending a request for transmission resources, the number of devices that can request service, and the latency that each device experiences. For example, in mobile systems a mobile device may need to request resources in order to send uplink traffic. However, with many mobile devices being serviced by a network element, the network element needs to typically pre-allocate many resources for uplink requests and to monitor these uplink requests. The higher the number of pre-allocated uplink request slots or resources that exist for sending requests, the fewer the number of resources available for transmitting mobile user traffic. However, if the number of pre-allocated uplink request slots or resources is reduced, the longer a device may need to wait before being able to request uplink resources. For some services this latency causes a poor user experience.